How to Write Exciting Facebook Updates for Businesses

We’ve all shared the experience of posting a Facebook status that didn’t receive a single comment, like, or share. While it’s not the end of the world, it is a bit disappointing, especially if you’re a business. After all, the point of social media is going social in order to have people interact with your brand.

So how can you get people talking about your brand on Facebook? Simple: Write engaging Facebook updates.

Will You ‘Like’ My Status Now?

Writing an engaging update isn’t as challenging as you might think. People want to interact with your brand if they’ve already liked you on Facebook.

Remember to keep it short. Facebook and Twitter updates are becoming type of short-form content. Now that over one third of Facebook users have gone mobile, more and more users are looking for brevity. If Twitter has a 140 character limit, you have a little more wiggle room on Facebook. A good rule of thumb is to keep a Facebook status limited to 225 characters – you can use more if you have to, but 420 characters should be your absolute cap.

With so few characters, it’s important to get straight to the point, and make sure the point is clear and easy to understand. For this reason, I recommend only making one tip, suggestion, or point every post.

Take advantage of what’s current. Black History Month just ended and we witnessed another year of Hollywood’s elite rewarding themselves at the Academy Awards. The public was talking about these tent-pole events, and so were businesses that were trying to take advantage of the free buzz.

If you have the opportunity to tie your business into a related cultural event, then do so! It makes you feel current and is a great way to insert your brand into the conversation.

Consider this AT&T update that quickly accomplishes two things: First, it takes advantage of a historic holiday and event. Second, it’s a great way for AT&T to naturally announce reduced hours and services. They should be particularly commended for their effort to make the post personal by tying it in with family.

This Facebook update by Auntie Anne’s is one of my absolute favorites! Not only do they celebrate the birthday of their company, but they also provided a fun opportunity for Facebook users to interact by posting a riddle. Notice the amount of interaction within only 5 minutes of posting!

Use CTAs. Asking people questions or asking them to take action is an easy way to get them to interact with your brand on Facebook. People want to engage with you – but sometimes they just need a little guidance!

Is Anyone Listening?

Ok, so you’ve tried all these tips but still aren’t getting a warm response. You may be wondering if anyone is listening or reading your updates. To ensure that more users see your posts, Facebook has provided businesses (and individuals) the opportunity to promote your post.

When Facebook first announced promoted posts, the cost was a flat-rate $7.00. Now, the cost of promoting a post is dependent on several factors including your location geographically and the number of people that you want to target.

If you’re seeking to ensure your brand gets more exposure, promoting a post is a great option for you! However, if seeking more interaction is your end goal, you should truly consider whether it’s worth the financial investment. Promoting post after post can get costly very quickly. Plus, creating engaging content produces its own production: As fans interact with your brand, their activity shows up on their newsfeed, thereby giving you more exposure!

If you decide to promote your posts, then be sure to check out our advice for improving conversions from content. While a Facebook post might not be traditional content, you’ll want to ensure it provides some measurable rate of return, especially if you’re paying to promote it!

Likemy post on creating likable Facebook content? Feel free to let us know in the comments below or by sharing this on Social Media.

Daniel

Daniel Chioco is a writer living in Nashville, TN. He earned his Commercial Music degree at Belmont University, where he also studied creative writing and wrote for the student newspaper. When he isn't creating content, Daniel works as an actor and films YouTube videos. He is also a freelance musician and is authoring his first fantasy novel.